Member of Parliament (MP) Henny Seibeb on Thursday questioned the actions of the Minister of Urban and Rural Development, Erastus Uutoni, for not removing non-resident councillors, even after he was legally advised to do so.

During a Parliament session on Thursday, Seibeb accused Uutoni of breaking the Local Authority Act by not removing Swapo councillors who do not permanently reside in the respective towns where they were appointed as councillors.

He gave the example of Fabiam George, chairperson of the Ongwediva Town Council management committee who is also employed full-time in Okakarara, which is 560 kilometres from where he is appointed as a councillor.

The Local Authority Act states that councillors should reside within the town where they are appointed as a councillor.

The MP asked the minister why he ignored the legal advice given to him by Attorney-General Festus Mbandeka in January 2019, informing him to remove such councillors, specifically, councillor George.

Seibeb said Uutoni has been overlooking these “wrongdoings” and asked the minister to explain what steps the ministry has taken to rectify the problem.

On the same day, the Minister of Urban and Rural Development was asked by MP Maximalliant Katjimune why he has not yet tabled the Rent Control Bill in Parliament.

He stated that the Rent Control Bill will regulate rent prices in Namibia, as well as handle and investigate complaints between tenants and property owners.

Katjimune added that the average wages do not compare to the rent rate in the country and that most Namibians could simply not afford to buy property, let alone rent.

The MP asked the minister to state when it can be expected to see this Bill tabled in Parliament.

These questions will be addressed in Parliament on 15 June.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency